Illinois Vacation and Travel Ideas for Literary Tours
Carl Sandburg State Historic Site
Birthplace Cottage & Remembrance Rock
331 East Third Street
Galesburg, IL 61401
Website: http://www.sandburg.org/
For additional information visit: http://www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/carl_sandburg.htm
Email: carl@sandburg.org
Phone: (309) 342-2361
Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967) was born here, and spent his childhood and early adulthood in Galesburg. Inspired by stories of an 1858 visit made by Abraham Lincoln to Galesburg, Sandburg wrote a series of Lincoln biographies, and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Abraham Lincoln: The War Years. He also received a Pulitzer Prize for his collection of poetry, The Complete Poems of Carl Sandburg. He wrote an autobiography, and one novel, as well as books for children which were based on stories he invented for his three daughters. In addition, he was a journalist and collector of folk songs.
The style of this three-room home is known as a "workingman's cottage," and is comprised of a kitchen, bedroom, and parlor. The home contains several original family items, along with period furnishings typical of a house of this era and style. Guided tours of the home are available upon request. The grounds include a quiet garden where Sandburg and his wife, Lilian, are buried. An adjacent visitor center includes exhibits relating to Sandburg, along with a small theater showing short films about the author. Occasionally live performances are performed, and the site hosts the Sandburg Days Festival in the spring.
Sandburg's birthplace is also open to visitors as the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock, North Carolina. For more information, see , visit: http://www.nps.gov/carl, or call: (828) 693-4178.
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The Hemingway Museum and Birthplace Home
200 and 339 North Oak Park Avenue
Oak Park, IL 60303
Website: http://www.ehfop.org/
Email: ehfop@sbcglobal.net
Phone: (708) 848-2222
Oak Park boasts two sites related to native son Ernest Hemingway's (1899 - 1961) life: his birthplace home and the nearby Hemingway Museum. The queen Anne-style house was built by the author's maternal grandparents, and has been restored to look much as it did the year of the author's birth. A visit to the house offers many insights into Hemingway's early childhood and family life, which was enriched by outdoor adventures with his father, and visits to Chicago art museums and opera houses with his mother.
The Hemingway Museum, which is only a short walk from the house, has a number of permanent and temporary exhibits that explore the author's life. On view are rare photographs and artifacts, Hemingway's childhood diary, and the letter he received from nurse Agnes von Kurowsky calling off their engagement. The letter was later part of the plot of A Farewell to Arms.
Hemingway enthusiasts will also be interested in:
Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center in Piggott, AR. , For more information see ,: hemingway.astate.edu/inde#78DE9, or call: (870) 598-3487.
The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Florida. For more information, see: , visit: http://www.hemingwayhome.com/HTML/main_menu.html, or call: (305) 294-1136.
Hemingway in Sun Valley, Sun Valley, Idaho. For more information visit: http://www.visitsunvalley.com/, or call: (866) 305-0408.
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